In the manufacture of laminated panels in which a core of plywood has a layer of glass fiber reinforced resin bonded on one or both sides of the core it is usually necessary to apply a weather resistant facing layer to the exterior side of the panel to protect the panel from deterioration during use. The facing layer usually consists of a film of weather resistant fluoroplastics material, most commonly a film of polyvinylfluoride such as that sold by the Dupont Corporation under the trade mark "TEDLAR", and which has been treated for adherability on one or both sides. One of the difficulties associated with the manufacture of such panels is that the fluoroplastics film, which is about 1.5 mils thick, tends to wrinkle and crease while it is being applied to the uncured resin layer, and removal of such minor flaws from the film prior to curing is both difficult and time consuming.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,475 identified above, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to an improved method of applying the film whereby this difficulty is overcome.
However, when such panels are to be used in the construction of truck and trailer bodies, regardless of the nature of the exterior facing layer, it is often necessary to protect the interior sides of the panels from damage by handling during construction of the bodies and from damage by loading and unloading when the truck and trailer bodies are in use. The forks of fork lift trucks are a common cause of such damage.
To deal with the problem a raised scuff is often fastened to the interior of the panel, by screws, staples or adhesive, the scuff extending parallel to the bottom edge of the panel for the whole length thereof. The bottom edge of the scuff, which is typically about 24 inches wide is spaced from the bottom edge of the panel by a distance of one to eight inches. The current practice is to prefabricate the scuffs and attach them to the panels, when required, at the required positions. Apart from the additional labour required, this practice has the disadvantage that the scuffs can easily become detached or loosened by impact, when struck by the forks of a fork lift truck, say; it also has a disadvantage which is even more serious in certain applications where hygiene is important, namely that the corners between the scuffs and the panels tend to harbour dirt and perishable fragments, and are not easily cleaned.